Into Darkness
by Miandrethal
Summary: Somethings is amiss in the Spiritual Realm. Please R&R!!! PLEASE!!! I will be eternally grateful!!!
1. Default Chapter

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Gundam Wing, if I did, they'd all be doing what they're doing in this story. I suppose they would be, even though I do like the series. But I like my version better.

CHAPTER 1

THE REQUEST OF A NIGHT CREATURE

The rain poured down from the clouds in heavy heaps as lightning flashed across the sky. Thundered crackled in his ears, but he didn't care, he simply pulled the lapels up on his jacket and stalked across the abandoned street. The only sounds that could be heard were the click of his shoes upon the hard pavement and the pitter-patter of the rain as it soon settled. He loved the way the world felt when it rained at night; the smell, the look, the absolute feel, it was as if the world had finally come alive. He walked a few more steps towards his apartment, his feet and the rain not the only sounds he could hear now; he now picked up the sound of another's feet scurrying along. He stopped, looked around and seeing that no one was there blew the noises off as an act of his overactive imagination; however, he still kept his guard up. He finally made it to his apartment building, an old building with faulty wiring in the middle of downtown Philadelphia. He opened the metal gate that loomed over the front entrance of his apartment complex and opened the front door. He walked in, his eyes adjusting to the stale yellow light shining against the even staler dingy walls where the mail cubbies were lined up by room. He would have to get his mail later; he was too tired for anything else. His eyes focused on the flight of stairs that he would have to walk up; he was on the fifth floor and the building was so old that it didn't even have an elevator. Nor would he trust an elevator if they installed it in this building, as shitty as it was. So, as he did every night, he trudged up the filthy red-carpeted steps to his apartment. As he walked he could hear the normal noises of the complex; the loud televisions sets of the people of room 227, the incessant arguing of the married couple in room 314, the crying children in room 424, and finally his next door neighbor and his girl of the week making annoying if not loud love in room 515. He was apartment 516 and he was thankful to see those rusted copper numbers as he slid his key into the door and opened it.

The apartment was a small one-bedroom efficiency with hardly any room for the Edwardian desk that was seated in a corner, and the green leather sofa and television set that was in what seemed to be considered the living room. He walked in, threw his dripping wet jacket onto the sofa and headed straight for the kitchen. Turning on the lights, he heard the same sound that he'd heard on the street, but in addition he saw a few bugs scurry out of view. He would have to talk to the landlord about the bug problems, not that the bastard would listen. He pulled a small glass from the pile of dirty dishes that he'd been meaning to wash for the last three days and cleaned it out with what little bit of dish soap he had left and some water, swishing the water around gingerly. He then reached into the refrigerator, that was filled with three-day-old Chinese food, spoiled milk, rotten cheese, a box of Arm and Hammer baking soda, and a half-gone six pack of beer. He looked down at the cup in his hand that seemed only remotely clean and threw it back into the sink; he supposed he could drink out of a bottle tonight.

Grabbing the beer out of the fridge and stripping out of his wet clothes down to his underwear and undershirt, he walked over to the sofa, grabbed the television remote and turned on the TV. He flipped threw the channels and sipped on his beer; there was never anything on. He then turned on his VCR and started the pornography video where he'd left it on the day before.

"What a tragic existence you lead?" a feminine voice came from somewhere behind him. He dropped his beer to the floor and turned around only to see nothing but darkness. He stood up and grabbed for his coat that was next to him on the sofa and pulled out his knife. He was sure that his imagination wasn't overreacting on him this time. There was no way his mind was playing tricks on him anymore.

"Where are you?" he asked into the wakeful darkness.

"Behind you," he could feel her whisper against his skin. The warmth and sweetness of her breath so close to him. He turned, but there was nothing there. 

"Don't play games with me, where are you?" He said, realizing that anyone would think that he was crazy. He ran over to all of the lights in his apartment and turned them on, hoping that they would give them away. There was nothing, not sign of the mysterious person that the voice had belonged to. He dropped the knife in the middle of the room and resolved himself to the fact that he must have just been drunk; he had stopped at the bar after all. He picked up the large kukri knife and placed it back into his jacket pocket and slung himself back onto the sofa and calmly turned on the television trying to get his heart rate back to normal.

"You give up too easily," the voice was there again. He turned and looked around there she was sitting right next to him on the sofa. He hadn't even noticed her sitting there. He freaked. With a loud, almost feminine scream, his lanky body fell backwards in absolute fright so that his back was against the cool leather of the sofa. She was on top of him, straddling him, trying to calm him down.  

"Shhh. Calm," she said, and just like that he felt calmed by her voice. She kept passing her hand over his face gently and repeating the word and he instantly felt very relaxed. He finally got a good look at her in the orangey light that filtered throughout his apartment. She was a black woman with tawny skin and hazel eyes. Her hair was dark with blatant streaks of light brown, blonde, and a strange orange color flowing throughout. The short tresses seamed silky and he instantly wanted to run his fingers through them. But there was something about her eyes. She was beautiful, mysterious, and almost dangerous and he could faintly pick up the scent of blood on her breath and clothing.

"Who are you?" he asked finally able to gather himself from the earlier scare she'd given him.

"I need your help," she said, a look of utter seriousness showing on her face.

"You should have come to the office, then I would have helped you. I don't like my work interfering with my personal life," he spat out and tried to push her off of him. He then realized that her small body was a lot stronger and able to hold him down without problem.

"You're not human," he said with a slight bit of annoyance.

"No, not quite," she said with a bit of a smile and he could see her fangs glisten in the orange light. That's why he could smell the blood on her breath and her clothing; she'd fed that night and was probably going to feed on him.

"No, I'm not going to feed on you; I've been sent to get you actually," her voice was deep and slow and it sounded like a trance being put on him. He shook his head.

"Come by the office tomorrow, then I can help you," he said.

"Don't mock me, I cannot day walk," she said, getting off of him.

"But your master can," he said getting up from the position on his back. She stood as soon as she was up, the short black velvet dress falling down to more respectful places on her thighs.

"You must come with me, my master wishes to meet you," she said offering a hand that had blood-red nails upon them.

"And is your master just like you?"

"A vampire, you mean?" she asked, he nodded.

"My master is controversial, but he needs your help. You are the Night Hunter, Trowa Barton, aren't you?" she asked.

"Shouldn't you have asked that before you straddled me on my couch?" he asked, not getting a response from her, "yea, I'm the Night Hunter, that's why I'm a little skeptical. If your boss is who I think it is, I'm in big trouble."

"I assure you that you're not. Just trust me, please." He looked skeptically at her hand; in his line of business they were supposed to be enemies not adversaries. It was going to be hard to let down his guard.

"You can take your silly knife if you wish, Night Hunter, but I assure you that you will not need it." He stood and took the knife from his jacket and laid it on the coffee table in front of him.

"You're not a regular vampire, you're a part of a different order. Your senses are too strong."

"You are the Night Hunter, that's impressive. I am from the Calorgian order, the natural vampires. I have the powers to take shape of any form cloaked in darkness, any creature of the night, and I can read your thoughts, but that last power is a personal one, not all Calorgians can read thoughts."

"What is your name?"

"Roddy Adelphia of the Calorgian Vampire Order. I am a priestess."

"A Vampire priestess. I don't know whether to bow or to slit your throat," Trowa chuckled.

"So will you come?" she asked, ignoring his idle threat. She knew that if she wanted to overpower him that it wouldn't be hard.

"Yes, I'll come."

"Good. You will need a change of clothes. We're going into the darkness so you're going to need to be well disguised so that the other night creatures won't kill you," she smiled again at the look on his face, her fangs bared in a simple eloquent laugh. He took her hand, knowing that this was the start of some strange case, but he took it any way. In all of his years, he'd never known of any person to be personally invited to the life of the night creatures, nor had he known any person to return from that fate. He took her hand and they left the apartment.

****

For a priestess she surely did drive fast. Hell, he would have driven fast too if he'd had a car. Especially a car as hell bent as the black Ferrari that she was wheeling down the slippery streets. It was a part of town that he was familiar with; the darkened bowels and nightlife of the night creatures. He'd hunted here before, but never so deep into the underground world.

"It's a place that not even you have been," Roddy said keeping her eyes on the road. He noticed how her skin shined in the moonlight that was beaming into the moon roof of the; the pearly radiance illuminating her face a soft, milky brown. He lips were the color of pure blood: crimson and thick and her eyes shined yellow and cat-like in the passing glare of the light. He found her radiant; it wasn't the first vampire that he found beautiful, but radiant was a different case.

"Radiant? You're the first man to ever bestow that title upon me," she smiled for the first time, the sharp canine shining a seductive pearly white. It was so beautiful, so sexy, that it almost frightened Trowa.

"I won't be the last," he said with a dry smirk and turned his attentions away from her and back to the activity outside of the window. He wanted to remember every turn, every corner, every brick building that she passed. He could see now that vampires and night creatures were standing outside. Some humans had joined them, no doubt, unknowing of the dangers that awaited them. 

He was lucky; the average human couldn't recognize a night creature. They looked like humans, smelled like humans; they even tasted like humans, with one fatal difference, they ate humans. The few night creatures that could day walk, the Liches, Oracles, and Vampyres (the human/vampire mutt), were barely detectable, but it was simple for Trowa to tell; it was like he had a sense.  He leaned his head back against the leather and memorized that tactile way the car moved down the streets, the turns; one left, then a right, then straight for approximately 10 feet, then another left, and a small bumpy street (probably cobblestone), then a right.

"We're here," she said almost cheerfully, and he opened his eyes to see an old abandoned house on the outskirts of the city. He noticed that when she turned off the lights in the car that she and the car were cloaked in darkness. All he could see were her glowing yellow cat eyes.

"Take my hand, you won't be able to see after this point. The darkness is too thick for mortals," she explained and she grabbed his hands because he couldn't see it in the night.  The only thing that he could make out was the rickety house in the distance, shaded by what looked like a silhouette of trees. The tallest story jutted out from over the tops of the trees and Trowa could see remarkably well that there was a light on. He turned to look down as they neared the house, the darkness slightly fading as they neared the lights of the house. He glanced back up to the point he'd looked at earlier and his eyes caught a figure. He couldn't tell if the figure was male or female because it disappeared so quickly that he couldn't make out the sex.

"My master has been expecting you," she said, breaking his revelry. He noticed that they'd quickly made it to the front door of the house. It was a large oak door with a rather large, rusted knocker on the front. Roddy grabbed the knocker and used it, the sound of the knocker hitting the wood resounding and echoing through the shallow wood. There was a shuffle, and the door opened of it's own volition, a red light almost blinding, blaring from the door so brightly that Trowa had to close his eyes. The woods lit up the red color and Roddy pulled him in quickly. The door closed behind them and the red light stopped.

"Open your eyes," she said calmly and he obeyed. The room they stood in was strange, it seemed as if the walls were moving. They actually were. It was if the house was alive and beating like a heart. He could hear the vibration of the walls as it contracted and expanded in a timed beat. The walls were a strange red, not bright, but just strange. It was like nothing that he'd ever seen before. He reached over to touch the wall but she stopped him by quickly grabbing his wrists.

"You don't want to do that. This house is alive; there are only some places where you're allowed to touch the walls. Especially since you're a human." She said sternly. He wretched his hand from her grip and followed her lead as she led down a long, narrow passageway. The sound of the front room echoed louder in this wind passage and he could now see that the house was indeed alive, well almost. The walls were made of moving souls, swimming along the current of the wall as if they were blood vessels traveling down veins. The beating was the sound of the current of the wall, ironically ebbing and flowing the current.

"These are the souls of the dead undead. This is where every fallen Vampire comes. Like the sea of Hades they swim forever."

"Is that what you have to look forward to?" Trowa asked, noticing that they'd arrived at a rather tall, red, velvet-covered door.

"I don't plan on dying," she said soberly, her eyes dulling a bit to a strange limey color. She pushed open the door without any effort and waved her hand in front of her bidding Trowa to go ahead. He looked at her cautiously and entered the room, the door closed behind him and he was left in total darkness.


	2. The Oldest Living Vampire

Chapter 2

The Oldest Living Vampire

Trowa stood in the darkness for a while, wondering if he'd been tricked into stepping into an ambush. Roddy wasn't with him any longer and the only sound that filled his ears was the painful sound of the beating walls. But they were behind him now, only behind the chamber door that had been closed without even a sound. There were no lights, no red glow; just pure, unjustified darkness. He swallowed deep and started forward, feeling his way through the void.

_Step lightly friend. _A voice said. It resounded all over the room but he couldn't see anything, not even the glowing yellow lights so common in vampires.

"Where are you vampire?!" Trowa yelled into the night.

I am the air you breathe, the scent you smell, the darkness. I am all around you, yet not. The voice said illuminating his words with actions. Chills ran up and down Trowa's spine as he turned around, feeling the breath of a person behind him, but turning around to pure nothingness.

"Quit playing with me Vampire!" he yelled in frightful anger.

I am not playing with you, mortal. I simply want you to know that I am no one to be toyed with. Now, step forward towards the light. As soon as that was said a small spotlight was placed on what seemed to be an old fashioned elevator. Trowa walked steadily towards the light, pulled open the gate to the elevator and stepped in. As soon as he was in, the elevator door closed on its own and it started to ascend. A small light was present above him so Trowa could see that the elevator wasn't really an elevator, but a crate that was being lifted by some unknown force.

"Haven't you tired of showing me your power, Vampire." Trowa said in a normal tone.

This isn't power, just simple parlor tricks. I am much more powerful than this. You mock me with such a comment, mortal. The voice said as the crate came to a forceful stop at a landing that seemed to come out of nowhere. The stop was so forceful, in fact, that it sent Trowa flying onto the floor landing face first. A chuckle resounded throughout the great hall and Trowa looked up from his stomach and saw that there was a lone spotlight shining on a figure that was lounged over a chair.

Trowa stood quickly and dusted himself off and started forward, the shape becoming larger with every step that he took. Trowa realized that this wasn't just some old, abandoned house, but it was in fact an old abandoned multi-level chapel. He found it ironic that Vampires had set up habitat in a chapel. He was indeed walking down the middle aisle and could even see random, scattered pews on each side. The Vampire was sprawled over a priest chair at the altar and behind him was a life-sized, cobweb-covered, paint-chipped, Crucifix. Trowa wanted to smile.

He's not the authority in this house. I am. The voice said, and Trowa did smile. Moving a bit more, Trowa was finally in direct line of vision with the mysterious voice. Trowa had to admit; the voice didn't fit the description. The voice that had been resounded around him the whole time he'd been in the darkness was commanding and slightly deep but with a tremor of light playfulness. What was before him was a small, lightly fit blonde whose shoulder-length hair and pallid skin contrasted greatly with the tight leather pants and the long, velvet cloak that that he was wearing. He was holding a stone, Communion serving goblet in his left hand, while staring vainly at the long nails of his right. Trowa stopped at the front of the altar, having a little bit more respect for what the building used to be.

You mortals are all alike. It was in this moment that Trowa realized that the voice that he'd heard wasn't resounding and echoing around him in the corridor. The voice was in his mind. He heard the words, but the presumed lips that they were coming from weren't moving.

It took you that whole time to figure that out? Some hunter you are. Is this bothering you that I'm talking inside of your mind? The Vampire taunted. Trowa only smirked and shook his head.

"But I would prefer it if you'd talk to me normally, if you're finished playing games, that is" Trowa answered tartly. The Vampire sighed and with a playful smirk opened his mouth to speak.

"I bet you're wondering why you're here," The blonde vampire started.

"The best adventures in the world start with that sentence," Trowa said under his breath.

"Why a vampire as powerful as I would need your help," The vampire continued seeming to ignore Trowa's earlier comment. In one swoop, the blonde stood, carrying the large and no doubt heavy cloak around him, covering his beautifully pale skin from the spotlight leaving only the blonde hairs to glow. 

"You're exactly right," Trowa said, trying not to notice how the blonde of his hair twinkled almost magically against the bright, pale blue light.

"On normal occasions, I wouldn't ask a mere mortal to help me, that is why I asked you, because you aren't a mortal, are you?" the vamp said, and in a moment he was upon Trowa, ripping off the black mesh shirt that Roddy had given him earlier, revealing the most beautiful and intricate tattoo. The tattoo covered the length of his torso and was of a series of heavenly dragons in gold, red, black, and white. The colors were bright and didn't seem to fade. The dragons surrounded a sword as if they were protecting it and at the hilt of the broad sword there was a circle and within the circle was a third-eye triangle that rest in the middle of his chest.

"So, you know what I am?" Trowa asked.

"Yes, and I wonder why you denied your senses, considering that they are sometimes greater than vampires. A Seraph in the presence of a Vampire, I'll bet you're seething with agitation," The vampire smiled, slowly caressing the length of the tattoo on Trowa's chest.

"Be careful," Trowa warned.

"So, this is the mighty sword that killed hundreds of legions of vampires," the blonde said, his nails feeling prickly against Trowa's sensitive tattoo.

"I apologize…"

"No need, you've never killed any of my Order. What's killing them is something much different, and that is why I have called you."

"Those souls?"

"When a vampire is killed it is neither welcomed in heaven nor hell so its damned soul goes back to the master in a special place that only the master decides," the blonde said circling Trowa and stopping to whisper hot, humid breath into his ear. Trowa closed his eyes and surrendered to the sensation.

"What's your point?" Trowa choked out, finally coming to his senses. When he opened his eyes, the blonde was standing directly in front of him so close that their noses could have touched. Without warning, the blonde leaned in on Trowa's right side and whispered in his ear. Trowa could feel the prickly teeth against the back of his lobe and feel the sharp nails trailing a path across his heart. 

"Don't fear me, Seraph, pity me. For if you die you will be with your Master and if I die I will be with my legions on that walls of this house, circling for eternity. This is what I fear, so help me. My strength cannot fight this thing that is killing my Order." He moved away and walked back towards his seat. Trowa just stood frozen in the spot.

"Calorgian," Trowa finally found his voice, "the natural vampire, and you're the Master. Who was the Master before you?" Trowa cleared his throat. This caused the blonde vampire to laugh as he plopped down into the priest chair and gracefully pulled the cloak around him as if he were cuddling up for a night's rest.

"I am like your Master, the Alpha and Omega. There was no one before me and if and when I die there will be no one after me. When I die, I take the Order down with me, living and dead. It is my blood and my life that flows through the veins of the Calorgian. I have searched the world for another before me, a mother, a father, a Master, but have found nothing. So, as far as I know, I am the oldest living vampire. De Occulus or Quatre as a nickname. And you are?"

"Danyael but Trowa Barton is my earthly name," Trowa said walking up to the priest chair where the vamp was sitting.

"So, Trowa, do we have an accord?" Quatre said holding out a hand for Trowa to shake. Trowa looked over the vampire skeptically. Seraphs weren't in the company of making deals with vampires, especially vampire leaders.

"Why do you need my help, run out of legions?" Trowa said turning his back boastfully upon the blonde. Quatre frowned and retracted his hand underneath the cloak.

"My legions are all dead. I only have a few left and most of them aren't even vampires."

"And you would send, a simple Seraph, to kill vampire killers?" Trowa asked, walking over to a long-abandoned bookcase and fiddling with the dust-heavy books. Quatre walked up close enough to him that Trowa could smell the blood on his breath. Taking his hand, Quatre rubbed his long fingernail through the dust leaving a pinstripe trail on one of the books that Trowa was previously fiddling with.

"Name your price," Quatre's voice was full of amusement as he felt Trowa's mood shift.

"There is no earthly material that could satiate or compare to the thirst and hunger that I feel for something unworldly," Trowa turned to look into soft aquamarine eyes and whispered the words to the vampire. He then sidestepped and began to walk away back towards the stairs that he saw behind the priest chair. He figured those must be another way to exit the chapel and maybe get himself back home. Before he could even make his way completely past Quatre's body, the vampire grabbed him by the shoulder and wrapped his pale arm around Trowa's torso bringing the taller auburn-haired man into his smaller body. Dropping the cloak, Quatre allowed for Trowa's weight to rest on himself and Trowa could feel that the vampire's naked chest was cold against his lukewarm back. Trowa felt a hand snake underneath his shirt; the feeling of prickly nails tracing his sides and teasing the tops of his hip bones that were fitted neatly under the slope of his black jeans.

"I can offer you whatever you ask," Quatre said seductively into his captive's ear, letting his statement be punctuated by a scrape of his sharp canines against the sensitive flesh of Trowa's right lobe.

"This one request is something that only one being can offer," Trowa stifled out, feeling that the hand had indeed dipped below the waistline of his jeans.

"The attic, you want back in," Quatre reassured and Trowa instantly pushed the vampire away from him

"How did you know that?!" Trowa spat out. Quatre placed his hands on his hips and chuckled. Trowa could see the small droplets of his own blood glistening off Quatre's canines and mixing with the saliva in his mouth. Now that the blonde had shed the velvet cloak, Trowa could see the lean, pale, body and the long legs sheathed in black leather. His human senses were being seduced simply by the vision in front of him, but his Seraph sensibilities couldn't allow it. Trowa stood firm in front of the sinful creature.

"You look so serious, Seraph," still laughing, Quatre walked towards Trowa slow and deliberate, like a predator cat stalking its prey.

"How did you know that I wanted to go back?" Trowa asked again, this time his emotions a bit more capped.

"Getting kicked from heaven is no small feat, anyone would want to go back. Some of us want to go," Quatre smiled ironically.

"I wasn't kicked from heaven like Lucifer, I chose to leave," Trowa resounded though his tone was a bit nostalgic.

"To live as a human. So, the Deity granted you immortality in exchange for your help in fighting off his many mistakes," Quatre's teeth glistened and Trowa now realized that the vampire was again close to him.

"He doesn't make mistakes," Trowa said defiantly.

"What Hebrew king wrote that verse?" Quatre replied mockingly and to Trowa's shock walked past him and back to his priest chair at the front of the chapel. Trowa followed.

"How? How can you get me back up there?" Trowa asked wide-eyed.

"All if have to do is make a deal with the Deity, we owe each other some things, this could be one of his favors to me."

"The bureaucracy of heaven is mystifying," Trowa whispered.

"Ah yes, it is, considering that I am one of his most hated creatures. I should know, I'm not even allowed in either place. Neither place, heaven nor hell, can a vampire lay there head. Only shall they walk the earth for eternity, judgment, or till dead," Quatre quoted with a hint of sadness in his tone.

"You talk to the Deity?"

"Yes, we talk, sometimes. I think your return might be allowed if you harmonize with me," Quatre stuck out his hand again. Trowa forced his hand out quickly and shook the vampire's hand, feeling the cool, clammy flesh.  In all of his centuries walking the earth, he never thought that a vampire would offer him what God had so quickly taken away.


	3. Oh where oh where is my Where?

Chapter 3

Where oh where is my Where?

"This is your room," Roddy said to Trowa as she pointed to a door that was camouflaged with the darkness of the hallway. Trowa looked around the bowels of the chapel and every inch of the walls was covered with pulsating souls. The only thing that wasn't covered was his door, which made it easy to find his way to his room.

"Why would a vampire want these dead souls on the wall, you'd think he'd pick a better place to honor his dead," Trowa said under his breath halfway down the hallway. He was still lagging behind Roddy trying to remember the way he got to the room.

"Putting them on the wall is a way of honor, so that everyone that enters will know that the Calorgian Order is dying and to mourn," Roddy said as Trowa finally caught up with her. He stepped into the room and saw that it was as Spartan as any room could have possibly have been. There was an unused four-poster bed that had a dusty black canopy. Trowa figured that this was the rectory and that the Monsignor would have slept here considering the many old, dusty crucifixes that were hanged. 

"What about the bathroom?" Trowa asked walking over to the bed and spreading his hands over the dusty, moth-eaten comforter.

"It's that room. It may not look like much but we vampires don't really sleep up here," she nodded towards the small lattice window that was situated high on the wall. Trowa smiled, surely the morning light would be too much.

"So, how old are you?" Trowa asked, plopping down on the bed. She stared at him strangely; no one had ever asked her anything that personal before. Her eyes were wide as she thought about her age; she hadn't though about that for centuries.

"I think I'm 500 years old, why do you ask?" she said sitting down at the small, wooden chair in front of the large desk.

"And it's just you and Quatre?" he asked.

"Yes, it's been just us for centuries. I can vaguely remember when I met him," she said looking around uncertain.

"When he turned you?" Trowa asked, not really knowing why.

"The French had just started taking my people as slaves, I met Quatre when I was caught and forced to work as a maid in the house of Monseiur Jaques de Torvelle. I remember the way Quatre smelled, like blood and roses; he was in my dreams and in my every thought. He told me that he was lonely and that he needed a companion and he offered me freedom," Roddy spoke nostalgically and Trowa saw how her eyes glinted in admiration for her Master in the pale moonlight. Suddenly, their eyes caught and for a split second Trowa felt a rush of heat to his face. The warmth was tingling and not too unpleasant and he wanted that feeling to last a bit longer. But, as soon as it happened it was over and he was left with the strange and unfamiliar emotion of longing.

"Well, I should be going to bed," he said stagnantly not really wanting to sleep. She nodded and started for the door, stopping only short and turning around.

"I'm glad that you decided to help us, Night Hunter. Not many humans would want to help vampires. Thank you." She smiled and walked out of the door, it closing so softly behind her that it was almost as if she hadn't been there at all.

"You're welcome," he said after she'd left. He looked around the room a bit more, searching for any strange happening, turned down the covers, got into bed and went to sleep.

****

Strange dreams plagued Trowa as he slept, and as he woke the next day he was amazed to find that he'd slept completely through the night and most of the day. If he was hearing the large grandfather clock correctly it was already 5:00 in the evening. He was awake a full thirty minutes before actually opening his eyes. He could tell through the thin membranes of his eyelid that the sun was shining happily through the small lattice window that Roddy had mentioned the night before. He sighed and peaked open one eye but quickly closed it because the glint of the sun was too much to bear for his human orbs. He remembered painfully how he used to be able to stare at a light much brighter than the sun, much brighter than any light that had ever been given to earth. He rolled over onto his back, away from the sun and stretched with his eyes closed. He forced one open, then another and let them adjust, sitting up and examining the room. 

He didn't know why his body suddenly jolted back in shock and surprise. All he could surmise in the small time between his recognition of the person perched on the left poster at the foot of his bed and his physical response was scream. When all was regained and the creature hadn't moved, not even from the momentous noise that Trowa had made, the auburn-haired man stood from the bed and walked over to examine the creature.

At first he thought that the seeming human was just a vampire guard, then Trowa realized that the man was indeed a man and that there was nothing strange or supernatural about his appearance. But the supernatural part was in his impeccable balance and extremely beautiful, long hair. At first observation, Trowa thought that the man was a woman, but with further examination, he realized that a topless woman would be simple to recognize. Trowa reached over to the poster, attempting to wake the poor creature from its slumber, not knowing what it would do when it awoke.

"No, do not wake him, he's very dangerous," Roddy said from the room door, careful to avoid the spots of sunlight that were in her way. Trowa hadn't even heard her come in.

"Dangerous, he's just a sleeping man," Trowa said skeptically.

"Oh really," Roddy said, and acrobatically kicked the sleeping man in the stomach. He woke quickly and hissed at both the sunlight and the vampire that had kicked him. He jumped down from the bedpost and landed on the floor on all fours.

"Vampire!" He screeched and ran out of the door.

"Lupin," she said and ran after him, her robe flying past Trowa who quickly followed Roddy's steps. The Where flew down the hall on all fours faster than either of them could catch up, they were lucky that at the end of the hallway Quatre was standing and the Where was cornered. But the only thing more dangerous was a cornered Where. Luckily Quatre had a freezing charm applied to the creature and he couldn't move.

"Let me go," Trowa heard the creature say angrily as he and Roddy finally caught up with him.

"We heard you come in, you sneaky visitor from," Quatre looked at the collar that the Where was wearing and smirked, "Satan? You work for the basement?"

"Yes, I came to talk with the Hunter. Name's Duo, can you put me down please."

"Not until you tell me what your business is with the hunter."

"My boss would like to know the same thing about you," The Where spat out. Quatre dropped him and he went tumbling to the ground.

"Duo eh?" Quatre asked.

"Yeah, got a problem with that Vampire?" Duo said dusting himself off and standing upright to his full height.

"What do you want with me?" Trowa asked, staring up into the purple eyes of the Where.

"My boss would like to speak with you, I'm just the messenger." Duo said flicking his hair.

"From Satan, I think not," Roddy said stepping in front of Trowa as a guard. Duo smiled.

"Hot damn, they're making Vamps hotter than the fires of hell these days," Duo said smacking Roddy on the butt. She snarled back at him.

"Who do you think you are?"

"I'm a Where baby, does that turn you on?" Duo winked.

"Not in the slightest. What does your boss want with the Hunter?" Roddy asked.

"Why don't I tell you over a nice candlelit dinner," Duo said wrapping his arms around Roddy's shoulder.

"You're just a horny dog!" Roddy said and walked off in the direction of her room in a huff.

"Hey babe, I'll have you clawing your nails down my back and begging for more!" Duo shouted after her.

"That's no way to speak to a Vampire Priestess," Trowa said, holding back a chuckle of delight. Duo looked down at the man and clamped down in a friendly gesture on Trowa's shoulder.

"A Vampire Priestess you say? Ah, that's why she's so pent up. She hasn't experienced the stroke of her master yet. Well, once she does, she'll be begging the ole D-man for a piece of his doggie style, if you know what I mean," Duo said elbowing Trowa.

"No, I don't," Trowa responded, taking in the experience of finally seeing a Where up close. He looked almost human, excluding the fangs that almost jutted from his mouth and the happily wagging tail that lagged behind him. He was tall, as Trowa had suspected a Where's would be, but Trowa had never expected him to be as muscular as he was. But the most attractive thing about this creature was the long, thick, chestnut hair that fell from his head and his striking purple eyes.

"What does Luc want with my charge?" Quatre asked, breaking the awkward silence caused by Roddy's embarrassed disappearance.

"He just wants to discuss some things, not sure though. Remember, don't shoot the messenger," Duo laughed again heartily.

"Satan wants a conference with me, how odd," Trowa said to himself.

"Well, he's not as odd as the Deity, I swear, that guy has been having some serious problems up there. Who knows what's going to be happening next. Bossman says that it's the worst discord since he got booted."

"And he sent you, why?" Quatre asked, a bit annoyed with Duo.

"Well, he is Satan and he does like chaos, so here I am, the master of chaos." Duo put his hands out to the side happily. Quatre heard the striking of the clock and realized that the sun would be going down in about three hours. He and Roddy would need to feed. Then Quatre thought it would be smart to send Roddy and Trowa to the Sorceress before they started their hunting.

"And why do you need him?" Duo asked, breaking Quatre's concentration on the clock's chiming.

"My Order is being decimated by some unknown source, I hired the Hunter to help."

"Hiring a Hunter that hunts dark creatures to get rid of something that's hunting a dark creature. Whew! He must have cut you some kind of deal," Duo smiled at Trowa, his fangs glimmering in the dim artificial light of the hallway. Trowa only stared blankly back.

"Shit, he's pretty quiet too."

"Well, tell your boss that if he wants my charge that he's going to have to come in person to visit with him. I'm not just going to let the hunter go to him freely," Quatre smiled, stepping up to the Where and staring up into purple eyes.

"Hey man, like I said, I'm the messenger, but he did tell me one thing. I can't let this guy out of my sight until he gets to see him. So, if you don't let him come with me then you've just got yourself another houseguest," Duo cutely ran his finger's through his long tresses. Quatre thought this over. Traditionally, Where's and Vampires didn't get along. Usually, they were vying for power against one another to see who was the strongest of the night creatures. Considering that Where's worked for Satan and Vampires were neutral in the spiritual realm, Vampires were usually the one's that came out on top. He didn't want a Where staying in his home. Where's were notorious drinkers, boisterous sleepers, and just generally crude and unsophisticated. Considering the way he'd been shamelessly hitting on Roddy after just meeting her, he knew that the Where was going to be trouble. Alas, his hands were tied; he didn't want Trowa to get into the grips of Satan. The last thing that he wanted to do was hand his Hunter over to a potential enemy. And just how did Satan know what was going on anyway? Quatre sighed.

"Well, considering the situation, I suppose it wouldn't be too hard to allow you to stay here for a rest or two. But I expect for your master to come from his underworld and show his face to me. I will not be sending my charge down to greet him; I don't trust your boss enough," Quatre's eyes narrowed as he saw that Roddy was indeed dressed for dinner. She was always a vision when she wore red velvet. Duo and Trowa turned around to see what was distracting the usually proficient vampire.

"I'd like to get my paws on that bitch," Duo said, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Quatre's mind quickly turned back to the problem at hand.

"And another thing, if I so much scan your mind and you're thinking about touching her, I swear, I'll unleash powers greater than the fires of hell have ever seen." Duo could tell by Quatre's voice and face that he was serious. The Where backed up shaking his hands in submission.

"Hey man, no need to go all Oldest Vampire Ever Living on me, I understand you completely, keep my hotdog in my pants. But I can't do anything if she comes knocking down my door begging the ole Where for his big bad wolf," Duo chuckled. Quatre's eyes narrowed in earnest and Duo's antics stopped. Walking away from the two men, Quatre caught Roddy's attention and took her hand in his and led her to his chambers to dine.

"He's very protective of her," Trowa said to Duo.

"Well, one of these days he's going to have to set her free. It's his fate, no vampire can hold onto their creations forever." Duo whispered as they both stared back at the two vampires disappearing down the hallway. Trowa didn't quite understand what Duo was talking about, but something about Quatre's possessiveness was starting to bother him.


	4. To Set Her Free

Chapter 4

To Set Her Free

She seemed distant tonight, and he couldn't figure out why. She wasn't usually this cold and for the past few days she seemed to be fading in and out of the plain of reality. He knew the symptoms but he chose to ignore them. Over the past decades they'd gotten worse and worse, but he couldn't give her up, not yet. He offered her a silver chalice full of blood and she drank it down gingerly. She'd never taken the act of feeding lightly and he loved the way she drank in the life, the way she looked when she enjoyed the particular flavor and bouquet of the liquid. He had to admit; he'd wanted her for so long, swallowing his lusts and feelings to keep her with him to keep her safe from the world around them. 

It wasn't safe for vampires now, especially his Order. He couldn't imagine the horrors that had met with the rest of his legions; their pretty flesh devoured by the horrors of the wondrous earth. His body shuttered unwillingly against the cold chill that filled his heart. He wouldn't let his beautiful creature be taken by the evil and the darkness; she was too much of a light to him.

"Roddy," he spoke her name and she looked up from her supper, a bit of red staining her lips, "What makes you quiet this eve?"

"I'm ponderous my lord," she said taking the soft napkin from the table and wiping her mouth feeling the stickiness of the blood on her lips. He'd taught her well; never be stained with the evidence of a feed, the only evidence a vampire should have is a satiated thirst. He knew that she would never be satisfied as he was not satisfied with his own existence. A vampire was cursed to walk the earth a neutral soldier in the army of the supernatural realms, constantly looking for companionship and never finding it. 

"Ponderous? This doesn't suit you at all; you're usually full of spirit. What heavy weight in on your mind that has you so subjugated?" Quatre asked. He knew part of the reason though they'd never discussed it openly or formally. Her mind was working against her, rebelling against the charm that was set inside of her and it could only be opened with his key.

"How are we to move around if I do not have the ability to day walk?" she asked innocently, testing his reaction and weighting it in her mind. He knew that she didn't have the power to read his mind, he could shield anything from her, but he allowed her to enter his mind letting down the shields so that she would feel at ease.

"I've given that a lot of thought and I've decided that I must set you free," he didn't smile. The words left a bitter taste in his mouth. Her yellow eyes were wide and she set down the chalice in her hand, a bit of its contents spilling over the side.

"You can't my lord, I won't let you do this. You'll be all alone," she stood up and bade her sit lifting a calming hand and motioning to her seat. She obeyed.

"I've been alone before. This is more important than just mere companionship. The Order is at stake. I've kept you hidden in these walls for far too long. I must allow you explore this earth and walk it just as I have for millennia."

"But you shouldn't," she disobeyed him and stood, walking quickly over to his chair. He couldn't bear to have her touch him now; they all said the same thing when he said that he was going to set them free. They all pleaded with him to not do it, but he knew that deep within they wanted freedom. She was ready, especially if she couldn't follow the simple command of sitting. Her mind was breaking from his anyway; he might as well make the breaking far sweeter. She reached him, falling to her knees in protest and grabbing his arm. The sweetness of her touch coursed through him and he couldn't believe that he was going to lose her. With all of his companions she was the truest.

"You shouldn't have to be bound to me forever," his aquamarine eyes looked down into hers. He saw that the serious glow of yellow had subdued to a more saddened natural color of honey brown. A vampire rarely cried and when it did it was one single teardrop to signify a change. They all cried when he told him, so the tear sliding down her cheek did her no good. 

"But I choose to be with you."

"You only choose me because you are bound. Not by loyalty or companionship or even love are you bound, just by blood oath. I wish it were different, but to wish is to regret and I cannot regret in this long life anything that I've done or will do," he ran his long-nailed hand through the silkiness of her hair and closed his eyes. She'd still retained that beautiful smell that he'd fallen in love with when she was a mortal. The scent of sweet oranges and tangy lemons and a strange spice that only she could carry with her.

"You will regret setting me free. We will both be miserable," she looked up at him her eyes turning from pained to the wily color of sated yellow. He sighed and allowed his hand to linger on her soft brown cheek, marveling at the pigment difference between their skins. So smooth, he thought as her ran his hand across the sloping plain of her cheek and over the full buds of her lips. He bent down and kissed her lips chastely and pulled away as soon as the sensation of warmth spread through them. Her eyes were closed reveling in the touch of her master; he'd only touched her in such a manner centuries ago and much like this time it was over as quickly as it started.

"Go," he said finding his voice, "take up the Hunter and the Where and go to the Sorceress. She will have advice," he stood and walked passed her. The act may have seemed callous to the naked eye, but for Quatre it was a way of suppressing the tears of losing his beloved. She stayed on her knees for a while before bowing her head into her hands and crying a few more tears. He'd made his decisions and when the lord of the Calorgian family spoke, his will would be done. 

****

Duo and Trowa sat on what seemed to be a balcony in the chapel. It was nice because Duo could feel the humidity of the air on his skin and see the full moon that shone brightly. Trowa was just reveling in the sharp conversation that Duo was making with him. It had been a long time since he'd talked with anyone so vividly.

"Wax and wane, just like life," Duo said looking at the fullness of the moon with fondness. He stood against the balcony, his tail wagging excitedly and started to howl. In the distance he could hear a response, his eyes closed and he relished the feeling of being close to kin.

"Your people respond," Trowa said stagnantly.

"No, that was not a Where call, that was a true wolf in form and nature. Less than kin, but true, true as the waxing and waning moon." The sound of the wolf pack in the woods responded again.

"What are they saying?" Trowa asked, noting the tinge of a smile on Duo's lips.

"Your spirit is fairly met," Duo smiled and quickly sat back down.

"I've never been this close to a Where before."

"Without killing us. You hunters, spending your life killing creatures of the night, it must be a rather fulfilling job." Duo joked and leaned back in the chair raising the front legs up off the ground.

"It is," Trowa's eyes left Duo and went to the movement inside of the house. Duo could see that through the glass window Roddy was moving up the stairs with Quatre next to her. The Where smiled.

"You want her." Duo stated.

"I don't know what that means," Trowa retorted, turning his attentions back at his conversation buddy.

"I've noticed. You seem to look at the world with newborn eyes. You kill creatures without remorse or dealing. You are a Seraph, a deadly agent of the Deity are you not?"

"I used to be, but I am flesh and blood."

"Kicked out?"

"No, nothing like that. Not completely."

"Well, your secret is safe with me," Duo patted him on the back making a silent oath.

"We need to go," her voice was forceful yet sweet breaking the general calm of the conversation between Trowa and Duo.

"Where are we headed?" Duo asked.

"The Sorceress, she will give us answers," Roddy said taking the lead.

"Answers are definitely what we all need," Trowa commented under his breath and followed Roddy and Duo out of the door.

****

The house of the Sorceress was nothing like Trowa expected. He expected it to be gothic-like and surrounded by large billowing Willow trees. In truth, the house was in the inner city surrounded by other smaller, lower income houses. Trowa knew exactly which one they were going to, considering that it had a large, red fluorescent light that was shaped like a human Palm. On the inside of the palm was the word "Tarot." Trowa's eyebrows rose and he looked at the sign haughtily.

"You can't be serious," he said under his breath.

"Hey man, don't knock this lady until you try her. I here she's good," Duo retorted slapping a strong hand onto Trowa's back.

"I suppose." Trowa responded rather unsure, but Roddy gave him reassuring eyes as she rang the doorbell. There was some shuffling behind the door and Trowa could see a shadow behind the stained glass entrance. 

The door opened to a youthful woman, not the old scraggly witch of fairytales. In fact, this lady was youthful and beautiful. Long chestnut hair flowed down her shoulders, shading olive skin and honey-colored eyes. She had on a flowing green dress underneath a lilac, chenille robe and was barefoot.

"Roddy, I was expecting you, please take off your shoes," Roddy entered and removed her shoes along with the rest of them. The woman piddled towards the kitchen in a swagger that was entirely hers. 

"Tea anyone?" she asked, cordially as she brought in a white, porcelain tea set and sat it down on her small coffee table. The inside of the house was interesting. Japanese in ideal, with all the seating being floor level, but there was a strange Indian and Bohemian flare that caught Trowa's attention. She seemed more gypsy-like than a sorceress. Trowa sat down on the small floor chairs and took the tea that she offered. 

"I am Jinakel, I already know who you all are. Who would like to go first? I do not give readings to a group," she said, gracefully rising and gathering her cup of tea. No one answered her. She gingerly looked at Roddy and bade her go first. Roddy stood, taking her teacup with her. 

They entered the back room and they sat, Roddy a bit nervous, as she always was when she was with Jinakel.

"I see something that worries you, Vampire," Jina said haphazardly.

"My master and I we had a falling out."

"Ah yes, it is time for him to let you go."

"But…" Roddy tried to finish but was cut off by Jina.

"But nothing, do not make this harder for him than it already is. He's thought of this for centuries, letting you go. He needs your strength now not your sniveling. But other than that, what is your cause?" Jina said sipping her tea cordially.

"What do you see for me?" Roddy asked.

"This is a grand adventure that you're beginning. In the end you will have but one choice, you will give your life for your beloved."

"Who is my beloved?"

"Ah, but that is the one choice. I cannot make it for you."

"Anything else?"

"No. Send in the Hunter," Jina said shooing Roddy from the backroom. Within a couple of moments Trowa entered and sat in the very seat that Roddy had sat. Jinakel smiled, a blush tingeing her face.

"You have chosen a very handsome body, Seraph," Jinakel commented.

"Does everyone know what I am?" Trowa asked, annoyed.

"No, not everyone. Not the person that matters most. What are you here for?"

"I need to know where to look for clues in this case. This creature that is killing the order leaves no tracks. It's like it's a ghost."

"That would be easy enough for one to find. What are you here for? There has to be a burning question, in your darkest desires that is bothering you somehow," Jina's eyes were serious though her voice sounded a bit playful.

"How will this end?"

"An excellent question. But I must say, I cannot tell you that. In my mind I see a host of possibilities, different paths, different courses for one to take. Your path is now intertwined with two others, with a host of others. Quatre, Duo, Roddy, Heaven, Hell, your path is intertwined," she whispered.

"My path has always been intertwined with others. It is only now that I may choose."

"No, you chose before. When you were force out of heaven. You chose to come to earth instead of hell. You've been in that body too long and there is nothing that you remember about that place which you were a part of."

"I remember the smell. It smelled of calm. I could just breathe in and I would instantly feel calmed. Such a succulent smell, nothing like it on earth."

"But why not hell? You could have still been an angel."

"A demon. I would never lower myself to hell. I couldn't. Not after feeling all the comforts of heaven."

"So was your path, and now you will do anything to get back there. The question is, what do you love more, heaven? Or love? You will have to make a choice and you will know the choice you have made when the time comes. Right now your mind is made up, but things change in the course of a day, in the course of an hour things change."

"Love? I do not know that feeling."

"You soon will," Jina said standing up and walking him out of the front room where Duo and Roddy sat chatting somewhat.

"I know you," Duo said in a sly voice, "you work for my boss."

"You're a smart one, Where."

"And you're hotter than hell on July day, babe. Maybe we should get together down there with the boss one day and have a bit of dinner."

"Your manner is cheerful, you will be good for this dour group. And maybe, when this is all over, we will have dinner," she smiled cordially at Duo.

"What of the case?" Roddy asked, getting back to business.

"There is only a bit I can tell you, for I don't even know what's going on. But I can say that every case starts with clues and the best clues can always be found in the mailroom. In this case, the Spiritual Mail Room would be the place to look," she smiled and started towards her door.

"Spiritual Mail Room?" Trowa asked himself.

"Think about it, where do all the prayers go?" Jina said as she kissed Trowa on the cheek and let the group out.

"Well," Duo started as they headed towards the car, "she was no help at all."


End file.
